coring and test pit at holtsmúli - fiske center of the skagafjörður archaeological settlement...

Report of the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey

2009:

Coring and Test pit at Holtsmúli (62) By John M. Steinberg, Rita S. Shepard, Kelly R. Hale,

Joanna E. Curtis, & Kathryn A. Catlin

With the help of Amanda Schreiner, Ayshe Yeager, Brian Damiata, Christa Beranek, Dennis Piechota, Douglas Bolender, Emily Button, Gregory Bailey, Heather Trigg, John Schoenfelder,

Katharine Corwin, Katharine Johnson, Katherine Goldberg, Laura Ng, Marisa Patalano, Michael Way, Peter Gangemi, Robert de Picciotto, Robert Yeager, Rosie Taylor, Sam

Mrozowski, Stephen Mrozowski, Susan Jacobucci, & Véronique Forbes

Funded by

United States National Science Foundation ARC 0909393 (Arctic Social Sciences)

With the institutional assistance of

Byggðasafn Skagfirðinga Glaumbæ Árskóli Sauðárkróki

Permit issued by Kristín Huld Sigurðardóttir, Forstöðumaður Fornleifaverndar ríkisins

Under the guidance of Þór Hjaltalín, Fornleifavernd ríkisins

In collaboration with

Sigríður Sigurðardóttir, Byggðasafn Skagfirðinga Glaumbæ

Additional copies of this report and other reports, as well as much of the raw data can be downloaded from http://www.fiskecenter.umb.edu/SASS.htm

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Acknowledgements This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants ARC 0909393 (Arctic Social Sciences) & BCS 0731371 (Archaeology). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The permit was issued by Archaeological Heritage Agency of Iceland on June 19, 2009. Landowner permission was obtained with the assistance of Hjalti Pálsson of Hof. We thank the new landowner Sigurður Skarphéðinsson for his kindness in letting us investigate his land. Christine Campbell helped put together this report.

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Goals The goal of the work at Holtsmúli (62) was straightforward. We used cores to identify the earliest occupation of the visible farmmound by placing and excavating a 1x1 m test pit in the oldest part of the midden.

Coring Coring at Holtsmúli took plance on 8/11/2009. Joanna Curtis, Kelly Hale, and John Steinberg took the cores. We used a JMC backsaver core with two extensions if necessary. For deep midden exploration we sometimes used the N-3 handle, but mostly the standard backsaver handle. We employed the 18 in long 1.5 in wide JMC large diameter sampling tubes. The sample tube was cleaned between each sample and grass placed in the core hole between samples of the same core hole so as to distinguish loose soil fall from in situ deposits. Core locations were recorded with a sub-meter GPS in Real time. These coordinates were post-processed and those post-processed coordinates are the ones associated with the cores in this report. Tephra layers were recorded along with natural and cultural deposits and any inclusions. We took 33 cores at Holtsmúli (Figure 1) to identify the area where there was substantial midden under the 1000 tephra layer or midden deposits very close to the LNL (Figure 2). Just beyond eastern edge of the cores we identified drained bog deposits. Of the 33 cores taken some identifiable tephra was found in 24 of them (72%): 9 with 1776, 9 with 1300, 13 with H1, 6 with 1000 and only 1 with the LNL/LNS. In general we first placed cores on a 10m grid. The spacing was then confined to identify the deepest part of the midden as well as the oldest part of the midden (close to the LNS). We took several cores that had those characteristics just to the north of a small shed across a fence from the garden around the farmhouse.

Test pit Test pitting began 8/11/2009 and went through 8/12/2009, excavated by Joanna Curtis and Kelly Hale. The location (E 474650.40, N 572104.50, 36.35 m asl) was determined by the cores. In general, the midden was surprisingly homogeneous all the way down. There was about 5 to 7 cm of midden between the 1000 tephra and a thin (3-5 cm) layer of aeolian deposition above the NLS which seemed to be either in or right on top of a very boggy deposit which rested on the H3 tephra layer (Figure 3). The LNS is extraordinary well preserved. No finds (other than animal bones) were recovered from this test pit.

Floatation Samples for flotation from all pre 1300 AD contexts were taken. Whenever possible, samples were taken during excavation. Most samples from Holtsmúli were taken from the sidewalls and precautions were taken never to contaminate samples. The flotation sample from contexts 1, 2, 3, and 4 (LNS) were analyzed. In some cases, multiple samples from the same context were taken. If this occurred they were floated and analyzed separately.

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Context 3, well below the 1000 tephra and just above the LNS contained 1 charred Hordeum seed which was AMS dated. The sample (77365) was run by Brian Damiata at the W. M. Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine. The date came back at 1020 ± 15 radiocarbon years before present. Calibrated this comes out to 990-1027 AD (95.4%). The LNS sample (4) had one charred seed but no cultural material.

Interpretation Based on the spread of cores with midden under the 1104 tephra we estimate that in about 1104 that the mound size was about 1656 m2 (the area under the H1 tephra). The test pit profile, the cores around the test pit, and the date on the charred Hordeum seed yielded a date somewhere between 990 and 1000. Therefore, based on the test pit, we estimate that the farm was founded in about 995 AD.

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Figure 1. Tephra distribution.

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Figure 2. Distribution of midden.

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Figure 3. Profile of test pit

1 Meter

WEST WALL

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

LNS

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1:Toposoil2: Dry Midden with wood ash3: Peat Ash midden4: low density peat ash midden5: aeolian deposit6: Bog

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1

2

3

4

H3

1766130011041000LNL

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Figure 4. West wall test pit profile.

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Figure 5. close up of west wall test pit profile.

Tephra Layer Depth East NorthSite 62

2657Core 474844.351 573245.374

H1 1092660Core 474844.387 573256.899

1766 132662Core 474843.772 573250.01

1766 131300 60

2663Core 474844.639 573252.348

H1 801000 82

2664Core 474844.225 573243.341

1300 61H1 901000 100Katla 850 118

2665Core 474843.084 573244.635

1766 152666Core 474845.312 573248.802

1300 60H1 100

2667Core 474845.583 573241.754

1766 152668Core 474846.013 573242.704

1300 392669Core 474844.429 573243.81

H1 602670Core 474844.057 573243.294

1300 60H1 701000 76

2671Core 474844.146 573243.162

1300 64H1 79

2672Core 474844.943 573242.949

1300 65H1 78Katla 850 90

3002Core 474656.682 572106.792

unknown 95

Tephra Layer Depth East NorthSite 62

3003Core 474658.064 572105.571

1766 1101300 116

3004Core 474653.77 572106.855

1766 1203005Core 474659.744 572104.5

1766 1053006Core 474650.615 572102.687

H1 110H3 140H4 145

3008Core 474672.086 572131.79

1766 1103009Core 474648.875 572100.75

H1 27H1 110LNL 115H3 150

3010Core 474649.072 572101.568

H1 1041000 115H3 140H4 150

3011Core 474650.501 572105.13

1300 135H1 1501000 155Katla 850 160

3012Core 474651.338 572104.224

H1 1451000 150Katla 850 158

3013Core 474649.639 572105.511

1766 105Katla 850 160

description top depth bottom depth ThicknessSite 62

2656CORE 474840.173 573268.608

Bog 0 60 60Silt 60 61 1Bog 61 120 59

2657CORE 474844.351 573245.374

Bog 0 120 120

2658CORE 474841.327 573240.994

Bog 0 62 62Rock 62 62 0

2659CORE 474853.285 573233.413

Bog 0 120 120

2660CORE 474844.387 573256.899

Bog 0 40 40

2661CORE 474847.275 573246.561

Bog 0 80 80

2662CORE 474843.772 573250.01

Bog 0 120 120

2663CORE 474844.639 573252.348

Bog 0 120 120

2664CORE 474844.225 573243.341

Bog 0 120 120

2665CORE 474843.084 573244.635

Bog 0 120 120

2666CORE 474845.312 573248.802

Bog 0 120 120

2667CORE 474845.583 573241.754

Bog 0 120 120

2668CORE 474846.013 573242.704

Bog 0 120 120

2669CORE 474844.429 573243.81

Bog 0 120 120

2670CORE 474844.057 573243.294

Bog 0 100 100


2671CORE 474844.146 573243.162

Bog 0 120 120

2672CORE 474844.943 573242.949

Bog 0 105 105

3000CORE 474665.423 572122.536

Midden 0 120 120

3001CORE 474659.502 572110.679

Plow Zone 0 20 20Low Density Cultural 20 110 90Midden 110 120 10

3002CORE 474656.682 572106.792

Plow Zone 0 30 30Midden 30 80 50Low Density Cultural 80 120 40

3003CORE 474658.064 572105.571

Plow Zone 0 20 20Midden 20 100 80Aeolian Deposit 100 120 20

3004CORE 474653.77 572106.855

Midden 0 120 120

3005CORE 474659.744 572104.5

Plow Zone 0 30 30Midden 30 120 90

3006CORE 474650.615 572102.687

Midden 0 120 120Bog 130 160 30

3007CORE 474670.482 572133.243

Plow Zone 0 30 30Midden 30 65 35Aeolian Deposit 65 70 5Rock 70 70 0

3008CORE 474672.086 572131.79

Midden 0 60 60Turf 60 80 20Midden 80 180 100


3009CORE 474648.875 572100.75

Plow Zone 0 35 35Aeolian Deposit 35 55 20Low Density Cultural 55 60 5Aeolian Deposit 60 160 100

3010CORE 474649.072 572101.568

Plow Zone 0 30 30Midden 30 35 5Aeolian Deposit 35 40 5Low Density Cultural 40 80 40Low Density Cultural 80 110 30Midden 110 130 20Bog 130 160 30

3011CORE 474650.501 572105.13

Plow Zone 0 30 30Midden 30 65 35Low Density Cultural 65 80 15Midden 80 160 80

3012CORE 474651.338 572104.224

Plow Zone 0 20 20Midden 20 40 20Low Density Cultural 40 110 70Midden 110 160 50

3013CORE 474649.639 572105.511

Plow Zone 0 25 25Midden 25 60 35Aeolian Deposit 60 95 35Midden 95 160 65

3014CORE 474649.945 572104.364

Plow Zone 0 20 20Low Density Cultural 20 35 15Aeolian Deposit 35 50 15Midden 50 65 15Aeolian Deposit 65 80 15Rock 80 80 0

62SiteSASS 2009

DATE 8/11/20091

Family Count Charred

Sample [1]Heavy Fraction grams 33.22Light Fraction grams 0.972

under 1300

Bone 25Charcoal 5Dung 15Rock 50

Content %

Vol

Analysist AA DateAnalized 10/27/2009

Other present:

Cyperaceae 2 YesCyperaceae 6Caryophyllaceae 6 YesChenopodiaceae 2Violaceae 1ViolaPoaceae 1 YesWild

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under H1/1104

Bone 15Charcoal 35Dung 5Rock 40

Content %

Vol


Other present: Insect parts: 3

Caryophyllaceae 35 YesCaryophyllaceae 12Poaceae 5 YesWildEricaceae 1 YesEmpetrum

62SiteSASS 2009

DATE 8/11/20093



under 1000

Bone 10Charcoal 20Rock 65

Content %

Vol


Other present: Bone not collected, very smallpieces

Cyperaceae 2 YesCyperaceae 1Poaceae 1 YesHordeumCaryophyllaceae 17 YesPoaceae 7 YesWild

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under LNL

Rock 99Content %

Vol


Other present:

Poaceae 1Wild

coring and test pit at holtsmúli - fiske center of the skagafjörður archaeological settlement...

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